Pendant for lighting apparatus and the like



Sept. 1, 1925. 1,551,785

R. BARON PENDANT FOR LIGHTING APPARATUS AND THE LIKE Filed July 18, 1923li /Z27" I Em; QM

Patented Septul, 1925.

UNITED STATES 1,551,785 PATENT OFFICE;

RENE 3An01v,: oE PARIS, FRANCE.

PENDANT FOR LIGHTING APPARATUS AND THE LIKE.

Application filed July is,

electric lamp or the like can be raised, lowered .or maintained inequilibrium at any given height with respect to a; ceiling or the like,and whereby also the. weight of the said apparatus-can be varied'withiurelatively wide limits without destroying the stable equilibrium of thependant and, moreover, without necessitating any adj ustment for eachsuch variation in the weight of the suspendedv apparatus.

According to the invention, the improved winding-up pendant havingastable equilibrium is constituted .by av C-shaped yoke formed at each ofits extremities with an eyelet through which the suspension cablepasses. This yoke-supports at substantial ly the middle of its length aspindle on which a spool, around which is wound-up the suspension cable,is free to rotate; in a cavity formed in the said spool isllocated abarrel containing a spiral spring hooked up by one of. its ends on thesaid spindle and by its opposite end on the peripheral wall of thebarrel, the latter being keyed on to the spool. This barrel is providedexternally with a tube enclosing a portion ofthe length of the saidspindle; on this tube are wound up three or four coils of a wire securedby one of its ends on the C-shaped yoke, the said coils constituting abraking element adapted for stopping, within predetermined limits, therotation of the spool in the direction corresponding to the unwinding ofthe cable. Q

In the event of the suspension cable' bein a flexible pipe forconveyinga com-- bustible fluid or an electric conductor for carrying an electriccurrent to the lighting Without any break of continuity."

In order to obtainla'twofoldwinding,

1923. Serial no. 652,424.

the cable. is hooked up midway of its length on the spool andtherotation of the said spool under the action of the spiral spring thenperforms the winding-up of the two parts of the cable in oppositedirections.

For the purpose of. preventingthe two parts of the cable fromoverlapping each other when they are wound-up on the spool, the spindleof such spool is fixed to the C-shaped yoke obliquely with respect tothe vertical passing through the axis of sus pension. By thisarrangement, thesaid two parts of the cable are wound-up on either sidesof the hook fixed midway of the width of the spool. s

In order-that this invention may be more clearly understood and readilycarried into effect, it will now be described with reference to theaccompanying drawing, where Figure l is an elevation partly in sectionof a winding-up pendant embodying the invention and comprising adouble-action spool adapted for rotating around a spindle supportedobliquely by means of a C.-shaped yoke located in a casing constitutedby two juxtaposited shells shown in section'and engaging each other bytheir peripheral edges.

Flgure 2v is a diam-etrical sectional view of the barrel, assuming sameto be released from the hollowed portion oh the spool, the bottom partof such barrel being provided externally with a tube for enclosingthespindle on which is'attached the spiral spring. I

a Figure 3 is a sectional view on the line a"c0 of Fig. 2.

igure 4i is a side elevational view of a further, wlndlng-up pendantembodying a.

modification of the invention and comprismg a spool on which the cableis wound up in one dlrection only, the extrem ties of thespindle passingthrough the said spool being supported bya casing comprising two shellsshown in section as surrounding the device.

According .to any of these two embodiments, (Figure 1 or L) the improvedpend ant is constituted by a hollow spool 1- in a portion of thehollowed part or cavity of which is located a barrel casing 7 in whichis contained a spiral spring 8, the periphery of the said casing havinga rib '7 (see Figure 2) adapted for sliding in acorrespondingly shapedgroove 1. formed in the spool 1 and-for thus firmly connecting thecasing 7 and the said spool 1. One extremity of the spring 8 is formedwith an elongated hole through vwhich vpassesa pin 9 fixed to thespindle 2 around which the spool rotates,--the-ot-her-extremity of thespring 8 being folded for abutting against a hook 9* formed on the innerperipheral wall of the casing 7. ,7 By this.- arrangement, the spool ,1is connected to the spindle 2 and may rotate around the latter. Thebottom of the barrel casing 7 is provided laterally and externally witha tube. 11 for enclosing a part of the length of the spindle 2. Aroundsuch tube 11 are wound up the coils 10 of a spring wire fixed by one ofits ends [at 1:2 to the yoke 3 (see-Figure 1) oralternately to one ofthe shellsflltO (see Figure 4).

In theembo'diment represented in Figure 1, the spindle 2 is supported onone side only by a IC-shape'd yoke 8 and positioned obliquely, asclearly shown, substantially midway of the internal height of the twojuxtaposited ,metallicshells & engaging each other by their peripheraledges at The yoke 3 is fixed to the shells4 v by screwing up rings 6 on'thecorresponding thread-- ed portionof insulating sleeves d positionedat the extremities of such yoke, said sleeves at being secured on thelatter by screws 6. On therim of the spool 1 and substantially midway ofits length is fixed a hook 0 around --which it is possible'to pass thesuspension cable a, I) which is thus fastened to the spool and-allowsofithe winding up of the two parts a, and 'Z) ofsai'd cable according totwo opposite directions.

The spiral spring 8 is sufficiently strong when taut to raise thependant itself (that is to say when no weight is suspended-from the saidpendant). Therefore, when one raises, t forv instance by, hand, theapparatus (representing the said weight) suspended by the part b. of thecable, the weight of such apparatus no more exerting itself on thependant, the said spring Braises itand winds up the cable on thespool 1. hen'afterwards one ceases to pushthe apparatus up it isobvious'that, if braking means were not provided, its weight wouldovercome the tension'al-resistance of the-said spring 8 and cause thesaid apparatus to descend. Howeverthis does not occur because suchtendency to downward motion is checkedand vthe stability of thesuspended apparatus automatically obtained due to the braking actionexercised bythe coils 10 of the wire fixed at one. end 12 and wound uparound the tube 11 connected to the barrel, the other end 13of said wirebeing free relatively tothe. tube 11. Owing to.thisconstruction,when'the upward motion of the apparatus is interrupted, itsown weight tends to unwind the spool: but this tendancy isovercome andthe unwinding motion prevented Since the tube 11 then rotates around thesplndle 2 simulz-taneously withtthe barrel and, by reason of itsfriction, carries with itthe free end 13 of the'braking Wireythisgradually ensuring the jamming of the other coils 10 of the said wireandthus stopping the rotation of the spool 1 in the unwinding directionand at the sametime the downward motion of the apparatus which has beenleft to the action of gravity.

The braking action is adjusted by varying the number of the coils ofthe-wire-lO and their initial friction against the tube 1']. so thatsuch braking actionmay supporta maximum weight-beyond which it becomesinsufiicient to prevent therunwindi-ng.

In view of the foregoing, it is apparent that, to causev the downwardmotion-ofthe lighting apparatus or thel-ike,- -all thatis necessary isto pull "thereon so that'the stress thus exerted adding itself {to theweight thereof exceeds the predetermined maximum. As soon assuchpulling'stress is interrupted, the reaction -of the brake-is sufficientto stop the unwinding.

In the embodiment represented in Figure at, the spindle 20 iscarried'bythe casing 140. The casingis' iereed-at;its top portion withaholewd't irough which-thesuspension cable a passesythis -cableis-attached at 0' to-the spool 1. On the-bottom part ofthe casingis'fixed-a hook 15 from whichthe lighting; apparatus or the like whichis topbe raisedor loWeredis-suspended.

WVhat I claim and desire toseeurerby Letters Patent is 1. Anautomatically -.balanced windingup pendant for raising,'loweringor'maintaining at any desired height, a lighting'apparatus or the like,comprising a hollow spool on whichis wound up-the suspension cableleadingtosaid apparatus, a=barrel casing containing a spiral spring,said casing beinglocatedfirmly within said spool, said spring beinghooked up't-othe spindle passing throughsaid spool,;a tubeconnected tothe bottom of the-barrel-casing and extendingoutwardly therefrom alongits axis of rotation, and a brake constituted by adjacent turns of helixformed bye-wire twisted around saidtube, one end ofsaid wire beingattached to a stationary point, the said'turns of helix jamming the said:tube' and thus performingthe braking action and stopping the downwardmotion of the apparatus when the latter is :left to. the

Y action of gravity.

2. An automatically balanced pendantaecording to claim 1,-in whichthespindle passing through the 'spool'is carried-by C-shaped yoke formed ateach of its extremities with a hole for receiving insulating sleeves,said spindle being supported obliquely at substantially the middle ofthe height of said yoke to make it possible for the suspension cablepassing through said sleeves and attached substantially midway of itslength the spool to be wound up by part on the said spool according totwo opposite directions on either sides of the said hook for ensuring adouble-action winding-up. I

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

RENE BARON.

